As the population has migrated from rural to neighborhood and urban settings, more and more people are raising plants indoors. However, raising plants indoors has numerous drawbacks, the number one drawback being watering the plants. Indoor water irrigation is mainly accomplished by spilling water into the soil of a pot containing one or more plants. A plant's watering needs depend on a variety of factors including plant type, plant species, plant size, room temperature, room humidity and container size. A plant's food and watering needs also create additional work for those individuals who care for the plant. Many indoor plants perish due to a care taker either forgetting to water the plant regularly or through overwatering a plant. This problem becomes even more paramount when a caretaker is away on vacation or business. Indoor plants are expensive and time-consuming to replace if not cared for properly.
Generally speaking, a caretaker must tend to each potted plant individually, determining when and how much water and food to provide to each plant. Plants of different types may require different amounts of water or water at different intervals. Whether of the same or a different type, plants located in sunny versus shaded areas or located in different types or sizes of pots may all have different levels of water usage. Thus, a caretaker may need to monitor and tend to some plants on a daily basis, while other plants may require attention more sporadically. This cumbersome tending process requires the presence of the caretaker. Thus, when a homeowner leaves their home for a period of time, such as for a vacation, the homeowner must find another individual to tend to the plants in order to prevent damage or demise.
Various solutions have been proposed to these problems. In the case of outdoor plants, automated irrigation systems are known. These systems generally utilize pipes to deliver water from a source to a sprinkler head or similar delivery device, from which the water is dispensed. A timer is configured to turn valves on an off, thus controlling the flow of water through the pipes. Previously, this type of system was not well suited for indoor use. A single pipe delivering the same amount of water to each plant or station it is located near will result in uneven, overwatering, or underwatering of indoor plants.
It is clear that a need exists to provide an adjustable, individual, efficient, environmentally friendly and extended use indoor irrigation system.